What is Lemon8 and what are its links with under-Fire TikTok

tech.hindustantimes.com:

While political scrutiny continues to intensify on the widely popular short video app TikTok in the US and across the world, another owned by the same Chinese company, ByteDance Ltd., is going viral. As downloads of Lemon8 surge in the US, here's what you need to know about it:

Marketing itself as a “content sharing platform with a youthful community,” the app lets users make longer blog-like posts about topics such as fashion, fitness, travel and cooking, accompanied by relevant pictures and videos. Users can also access a customized feed of posts based on what they like and other creators they follow. Unlike TikTok, which features a rolling scroll of short videos, the app is more akin to a mishmash of Instagram and Pinterest. Its downloads have surged in the US, with the app jumping past Pinterest, dating service Tinder and real estate platform Zillow to become the top lifestyle app downloaded by iPhone users.

Information about the app is murky, though regulatory filings and various media reports suggest it is owned by Beijing-based ByteDance. Apple's App Store lists Singapore-based Heliophilia Pte as Lemon8's owner. Singapore's company registry shows Heliophilia is located at the same address as TikTok's local headquarters and lists Zhou Qin, a Singapore citizen, as its director. Reuters reported last year that the app is overseen by Alex Zhu, senior vice president of product and strategy at ByteDance and former CEO of TikTok. Lemon8 and ByteDance didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Lemon8's ties with ByteDance may expose it to similar scrutiny faced by TikTok, which has been barred from government devices across the world over data security fears, and whose CEO, Shou Chew, just endured a bruising